Vanishing Home

When you think of polar bears, what first strikes you? Of course, it’s those adorable polar bear cubs, with their soft white fur, tiny paws, little ears and their wide, shining, curious eyes!

But there is much more to polar bears than their cubs. We've all heard of climate change, and how it is melting ice caps and destroying the arctic landscape. But did you know that direct human activities such as intrusion of ice breakers- a type of liner(ship)-  also obstructs their habitats?  How?-Well, it’s because of this: The Arctic North end of Russia is believed to hold as much as a quarter of all the world's oil deposits. In a time when oil, a  precious necessity, one of the basic foundations for life today is running out rapidly, new reserves are attacked ruthlessly, no matter where they are. Unfortunately for us, that means the Arctic North, home of the polar bears.

 Such activities affecting surrounding habitats cause the bears, and other creatures, to alter their routines, their habits, to adapt to the gradual disappearance of their home. Adapting to drastic changes often takes a toll on the ecosystem, endangering the organisms intertwined in it. Polar bears, which are near the top of their food chains, take a massive hit.

It makes me cringe to think of those furry little cubs getting hurt, let alone die, and I’m sure you feel the same way too. We may not be able to stretch our help all the way to the North Pole, but we can try, starting with our very own surroundings. Keeping them clean, safe and healthy will reduce the impact of global warming-solving the major problem affect the bears and their homes.

Vanishing Home

I watch as it slowly wades,

Its silky white fur mingling seamlessly

with the freezing arctic waters.

Eyes trained ahead,

It glides cautiously,

The occasional caw of a tern

 Piercing the silence like arrows.

In a flash, it darts forward

A second of bated breath ensues

And it bursts out of the icy shallows,

A helpless fish, caught between its teeth

Struggling to slip away

The Great White Hunter rises

To its full glory,

The primal fervour in its eyes dimming away

As it wades towards the little one

Stretching its neck for lunch

And its eyes fill with a tender gentleness

As it watches Junior struggle with the slippery catch.

The sun sets on the shores of the ice desert,

the white silence deafening, yet calming

A silence no one would dare disturb.

I shut my eyes to take it in,

Only to be rudely awakened by a blaring horn

It explodes, crashes, shatters through the peace,

And the landscape erupts with little noises,

Noises of scrambling creatures.

The Ice Breaker steams on, cutting through the ice

The ignorant piece of metal it is, propelled by

Humans-monsters rather- blaring the infernal

foghorn louder every passing second.

Noxious fumes bubble out of the liner,

Blotting out the suns parting rays.

Fish ripple frantically in the water,

Terns circle anxiously in the skies, cawing warnings

To one another- their home was threatened!

Penguins slide uneasily on their bellies,

Flashes of black dotting the stark white.

In the distance, a howling whale song

Penetrates icy atmosphere.

The majestic bear strides forward,

Eyeing the ominous beast advancing-

Steely courage resurfacing.

A small, scared moan reminds her of her cub,

And her courage falters, a sort of

Sorrow filling her pitch black eyes.

For everyday, a piece of home is shaved away,

A piece of their future melts away,

Every second threatening to rip her away,

Away from her little bundle of joy.

No, she will not fight today.

She cannot fight today.

She must protect her cub, warn her aurora,

To prepare for the approaching end.